This invention relates generally to the field of poultry processing machines and more particularly to an apparatus and method for preparing a poultry carcass for the convenient, subsequent removal of the breast tenderloins therefrom.
Over the past several decades, the harvesting of poultry breast tenderloins, and chicken breast tenderloins in particular, has largely been performed manually. The process of manually harvesting tenderloins, commonly referred to as “tenders,” from a poultry carcass typically involves several preparatory steps before the eventual stripping of the elongated tenders from the carcass. These steps commonly include separating or folding away the wishbone of the carcass from the upper portions of the tenders, followed by severing the tendons that connect the top ends of the tenders to the adjacent anatomical structures. Once prepared in this manner, the tenders can be stripped away from the carcass through the application of moderate manual force.
The above-described preparatory steps are time-consuming and require skilled labor. Even with a properly trained workforce, however, the preparation of a poultry carcass for the removal of tenders has historically been associated with the potential for accidental injury, relatively low product yields, a significant labor cost, and a certain level of inconsistency of performance naturally attendant with any manual chore of this type.
It is therefore desirable to provide means for efficiently preparing poultry carcasses, and particularly chicken carcasses, for the manual removal of breast tenders in a manner that maximizes product yields and consistency while minimizing production costs and the risk of accidental injury.